Perception and Learning in OrganizationsCopyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. McGraw-Hill/Irwin Chapter Three Perception Defined The process of receiving information about and making sense of the world around us deciding which information to notice how to categorize this information how to interpret information within our existing knowledge framework * Characteristics of the perceiver Perceptual grouping principles Identifying trends May block recognition of new opportunities/perspectives * Categorization process Homogenization process Differentiation process * 3-* Stereotyping Assigning traits to people based on their membership in a social category Occurs because: Categorical thinking Enhances our self-concept Overgeneralizes Stereotypes don’t represent all or most people in the category Discrimination Systemic * Attribution Process Internal Attribution Perception that person’s behavior is due to motivation/ability rather than situation or fate External Attribution * Fundamental Attribution Error attributing own actions to external factors and other’s actions to internal factors Self-Serving Bias * Positive Self-Fulfilling Prophecies at Cocoplans * Self-fulfilling prophecy effect is strongest: At the beginning of the relationship (e.g. employee joins the team) When several people have similar expectations about the person * Primacy effect first impressions Recency effect False-consensus effect * Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. McGraw-Hill/Irwin Improving self-awareness Applying Johari Window Equal status Improves empathy Vodafone executive Grahame Maher maintains meaningful interaction with staff by discarding the executive suite and working alongside employees every day. Grahame Maher Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. McGraw-Hill/Irwin Definition of Learning * Tacit knowledge * alter behavior to maximize positive and minimize adverse consequences Learning is viewed as completely dependent on the environment Human thoughts are viewed as unimportant * every day life to influence behavior of others company programs to reduce absenteeism, improve safety, etc. Behavior modification problems include: * Learning behavior consequences Self-reinforcement * * Reward experimentation * Organizational Learning Knowledge acquisition Extracting information and ideas from the external environment as well as through insight Knowledge sharing Knowledge use * Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. McGraw-Hill/Irwin Chapter Three